Trainor takes reins at ECS

Ted Trainor has come to Effingham Christian School as the new headmaster for the school on Goshen Road.

Trainor began his career as a teacher 14 years ago.

“I started out as a middle school teacher,” he said. He said when it comes to teaching, middle school is the area he has “a passion for.”

“It seems to be in my experience an area where a lot of folks make the transition to private school,” Trainor said.

“Similarly here, we’re getting quite a few sixth grade applicants.”

For the last eight years he has served as headmaster for various classical Christian schools.

Trainor said he decided to come to Effingham because of the small town feel and the direction and unity of the board of directors for the school.

“I grew up in a small town in New Jersey; it was one square mile,” he said. “I looked for that small town character.

“The school is young and it has that small town feel, and as I get here it’s really a character of Effingham,” Trainor said. “All the grades are like a family. They all know each other. I think putting 25 students in one room that are the same age is unnatural.”

Trainor said it’s important for different age levels of students to spend time together and have the older students to act as models for the younger students.

He said the board members unity is ideal.

“The school board here, they represent three different churches even though the majority of them are from this church. Even with that representation they are such a unified group of men,” Trainor said. “They are unified as to what they think is Christian education, and they’re unified as to what they think is classical education.

“That is a headmaster’s dream, to have such a unified group of folks who have excellent communication among themselves because in order to build a school you have to be very transparent,” he said. “When I came and met them I felt a kindred spirit and like-mindedness that was very critical for me, and their simple passion for serving families and patiently building the school.

“I’m grateful that there is a place like this out there. It’s what I want for my four children.”

Trainor said he shares the board’s goals and the long-range plan is to have a high school.

“We’d like to have graduates someday,” he said. “The goal would be to graduate students in five years.”

Trainor said he has been impressed with those in the public school system as well who have been willing to refer students whose parents were looking for a Christian school.

“I think highly of the collegiality between the public and private school,” he said.

“I couldn’t believe what a quality school it was in its third year. Teachers are like-minded and have been trained well.”

Trainor said he likes sports, music and drama.

“In three years you don’t develop those to a great degree, but we already have a hand bell team,” he said “We’ve had a couple of dramatic productions and we have P.E. We’re laying the ground work, and I’m passionate about those things that typically attract people because they’re looking for their child’s specific strength to be nurtured.

Trainor also is passionate about family and would like the school to have as much of a family feel as possible.

“That’s a difficult thing to maintain,” he said.

He said when parents think about it they may want to find the school that most represents the values they want their children to be taught with.

“A lot of people live out here to get more house for their money and the free education from the good schools,” Trainor said.